Guard for paintbrushes



1932- J. SPIEGELHALTER. JR 1,387,525

GUARD FOR PAINTBRUSHES Filed June 26, 1931 A rmen 5y Patented Nov. 15, 1932 PATENT o FFICE JOSEPH SPIEGELHALTER, JR OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI GUARD FOR PAINTBRUSHES Application filed June 26, 1931. Serial No. 547,040.

This invention relates generally to paintbrushes, and more specifically to guards for paintbrushes, the predominant ob ect of the invention being to provide an improved 6 guard which is associated with a paintbrush in such manner that paint is prevented from dripping from the paintbrush and runn ng down the hand and arm of the person using the brush when said brush is employed at an 10 elevated point. L

Prior to thisinvention, persons using paintbrushes, in situations where said paintbrushes were in positions elevated above the shoulders of said persons, frequently were subjected to annoyance and inconvenience due to the fact that paint would drip from the paintbrush and run down their hands and arms. In view of this situation, I have provided the improved guard disclosed herein which, briefly stated, is associated with a paintbrush in such manner that any paint which drains from the bristles of the brush toward the handle portion thereof which is gripped by the user of the brush will be trapped by the guard, and thus prevented from coming into contact with the hand or arm of said user of the brush.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a paintbrush provided with the improved guard, a portion of 80 said guard being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the brush and guard illustrated in Fig. 1, with the guard in section.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the guard detached 86 from the brush.

Fig. 4 illustrates a modified form of the invention in accordance with which the guard constitutes an integral part of the brush instead of a. removable part thereof as in Figs.

40 1, 2, and 3.

In the drawing, wherein is shown for the purpose of illustration, merely, two embodiments of the invention, A designates a paintbrush of ordinary construction, said paintbrush comprising the usual body portion B, bristles C, and handle portion D. The body portion B is provided with a metallic covering B, which is common to paintbrushes of the type illustrate-d in Figs. 1 and 2.

Arranged on the paintbrush A as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is my improved guard Preferably the guard G is formed of rubber or other suitable material, which is 1 and 2. The inner wall 1 is slightly wider than the outer wall 2, as shown in Fig. 1, and the outer edge of said wall abuts against the 1 adjacent edge of the metallic covering B of the paintbrush so that a continuous wall is provided by said metallic covering and said wall 1 of the guard. The outer edge portion of the outer wall 2 is bent inwardly and downwardly when viewed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to provide a lip 4 which will prevent paint which drains into the guard from being readily spilled therefrom. Also this lip is cut away at oppositely disposed points, as indicated at 5 in Figs. 2 and 3, to provide outlets -with the aid of which paint may be con veniently poured from the guard.

Due to the fact that my improved guard is made of stretchable material, it may be stretched slightly when being arranged on a paintbrush, hence the guard will grip the brush so tightly that there will be no danger that it will he accidentally displaced therefrom. Also, the fact that the guard is stretchable permits of guards of the same size being employed with paint brushes of slightly diflerent dimensions.

In Fig. 4, I illustrate a form of the invention in accordance with which the guard G constitutes an integral part of the paintbrush. In this form of the invention the guard may be formed of any suitable material and may be rigidly fixed to the body portion of the brush by suitable fastening devices, or, if preferred, the guard may constitute a part of the metallic covering B of the brush, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

In the use of a paintbrush provided with my improved guard as illustrated in Figs. 1

and 2, or constructed with such a guard as shown in Fig. 4, paint which drains from the bristles of the brush when the brush is employed in a position above the shoulders of the user will be trapped by the guard and thus will be prevented from running down the hand and arm of the user of the brush.

Also, because of the cut away portions 5 al ready referred to herein, any paint which 0 finds its Way into the guard may be readily poured therefrom without inconvenience.

While I have described the guard illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 as bein made of rubber or other resilient and stretchable ma- 15 terial, this is not absolutely essential, as the guard may be made of any suitable nonstretchable material and may be fastened to the paintbrush in any convenient manner.

I claim:

20 In combination with a paint brush having bristles and a handle portion, a guard mounted thereon so as to form an obstruction to the flow of paint down the handle portion, said guard having parallel sides and rounded ends, and being channel shaped in cross section with an inturned lip formed around the outer wall of the guard to prevent the accidental spilling of the paint from the guard when the brush is laid flat, said lip having 30 limited cutaway portions in its rounded ends to form restricted openings so as to permit paint being conveniently poured from said guard, said guard having the inner wall of the channel of greater width than the outer 5:, wall and set into the handle with the inner face of the inner wall flush with the surface of the handle whereby the said inner wall extends beyond the outer wall toward the bristles of the brush and whereby to provide ,0 an unobstructed surface for the travel of paint into the guard.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto aflix m signature.

JOSEPH I IEGELHALTER, JR.

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